Bad Day For Equestria
by TwiShyPie
Summary: The mane 7 must solve a strange mystery and go on a dangerous journey to save Equestria.
1. The Letter

Ch-1 – A Letter

It was a lovely day in Ponyville. While most ponies were out enjoying the sunlight, Twilight was inside as usual, dusting books. Her friends were also there to help. Spike had gone for a very long bathroom break. "Thanks again girls!" said Twilight."I'm sure we'll finish soon with all of us working".

"Almost all of us" said Apple-Jack, glaring at Rarity, who was standing in a corner fanning herself. She huffed and replied

"I just washed my mane this morning! All this dreadful dust is ruining it!".

"What does it matter ?" said AJ, rolling her eyes."We all know you're gonna wash it again another hundred times today!" Before they could continue their argument, Spike finally came, holding a letter and saying

"Princess Celestia wants us in Canterlot at once! She said something terrible has happened!"

"Let's go everyone" said Twilight. They were all so used to this same kind of news being sent to them that they weren't really worried.

"I hope there are monsters to punch!" said Rainbow Dash excitedly.

"M-monsters?" said Fluttershy, not looking as thrilled. "

I'm sure there won't be monsters Fluttershy" said Twilight a bit impatiently. It was impossible to take Fluttershy on a mission once she was scared. They continued walking to Canterlot.

The two princesses paced around the throne room, waiting for the young heroes to arrive. "Do you really think they can help with this?" asked Luna to her sister. Celestia, looking more worried than she had ever been replied

"I don't know. It will be very difficult, and probably very risky. We must help them as much as we can, of course, but those girls usually find a solution to everything". She smiled for a moment, thinking of her eager, faithful subjects. Who happened to arrive right then. "Hello girls!" said Celestia, trying to sound warm. Without wasting anytime, the sisters turned to each other and said "We have some bad news..."


	2. The Mission

Ch-2 - The Mission

"What's wrong princess?'' asked Twilight. Celestia answered

"There is a strange disease affecting ponies all over Equestria. It's causing them to be very weak; some of them can barely move."

Luna added " We have no idea what's causing this, nothing like it has ever happened before. But we must find the cause and cure very soon. Already most of Cloudsdale is affected. This includes almost all the staff of the weather control team! There aren't enough ponies to manage the weather. And the illness seems to be spreading everywhere!''

"That's terrible!"

"oh those poor ponies!" Everypony was very upset- this was definitely not what they were expecting.

"Princess, are you sure there's absoloutely no evidence of what's causing this?" asked Twilight.

Celestia answered again " Unfortunately, i know no more information about this. However, i'm sure it's not a natural cause. I think somepony is behind it. Why, I'm not sure of."

"But who would do such a thing?'' asked Fluttershy.

"Maybe dischord..?'' suggested Rarity.

"No!" said Fluttershy at once. " He's reformed- and he wouldn't do something like this even when he was bad. He would never try to hurt somepony."

''Fluttershy's right'' said Rainbow. "but no other bad guy we know would do it- we defeated all of them. Maybe it's a NEW villain for us to punch to bits!"

"Now Rainbow, we don't know if it even is a villain." said Aj, holding on to Rainbow's tail with her mouth before she flew around and wrecked the castle.

"So girls'' said Luna " do you think you can save Equestria again"

"Of course !" they all replied, though they weren't feeling so confident inside.

"I knew we could count on you" said Celestia '' Good luck!''. Taking that as a cue to leave, they all went out, wondering what in Equestria they were going to do.


	3. Finding Clues

Ch-3 - Finding Clues

'' So, what's the plan?" asked Pinkie, hopping up and down. Everyone looked at Twilight expectingly. Twilight, feeling stressed, was trying to find the answer to that since the upsetting visit to the castle. It was hard enough being a bearer of an element of harmony- they were all expected to be heroes. But she was their leader, not to mention a PRINCESS! Finally she said

" I don't know girls. We don't have any clues"

"Then let's find some!" said Pinkie, pulling out a fake mustache from nowhere and putting it on. "We'll be DETECTIVES! I'tll be sooooo much fuuuuun!"

" She's got a point y'all.' said Apple-Jack "Why don't we start at the forest? it's got plenty o' mysterious things.'' Not very long ago, it would be unthinkable to go in the everfree forest, but after going into it many times, they were pretty comfortable in it.

" That's a good plan" said Twilight quickly, glad that they were doing something. They walked around the forest, looking carefully around, but not really knowing what exactly they were looking for.

"Hey, there's Zecora's hut'' said Spike. "Let's ask her if she knows anything about this". They agreed and walked in. Zechora was busy arranging colorful powders on her shelves.

''It has been long since we've met." said Zecora in her welcoming voice. "Please, sit down"

" Thank you Zecora'' said Twilight, feeling better when she saw the compassionate zebra. "We came to ask if you know aboutb the strange illness spreading in Equestria."

''We're Detectives!" said Pinkie.

" I think I may know some- oh Pinkie Pie, let me give you a potion to fix extra hair growth! "

"Huh?" said Pinkie confused."Ohhh this is just a fake mustache i'm wearing. Real detective's need them" Zecora, not as used to Pinkie's odd ways, decided to just let it go.

" Well as I was saying, I think I know the cause of this. I have heard a legend about a strange plant called 'Moserba'. I have never believed in it, but a few do. The legend says that when the seeds of this plant are crushed, they give powerful fumes. When these fumes are breathed in, they cause the victim's body to be very,very weak. There is no known cure. I had never believed all this, but this sounds rather simillar, doesn't it?"

"But why has nopony thought about this? The princesses must have known" said Twilight.

'Very few have heard this legend my dear, and if they did they would certainly not believe it, even after what is happening now. " replied Zecora.

"Well if it is true" said Rainbow, '' All we have to do is find the plants and get rid of them,right? Not as fun as fighting, but atleast it's easy."

"Not exactly" said Zecora. "The legend says that the plants only grow in the the WildPine mountains near the borders of Equestria''

"WHAT?'' they all exclaimed. The forest was one thing, but nobody, NOBODY would dream of going to the borders. It was a deserted land full of... well, nopony knew what was in there. And they didn't want to find out. "And there's another important thing I should tell you". The fumes couldn't have been spread from the borders to inside Equestria. And the Moserba plants can't grow anywhere but those mountains. That means, if the plants are to blame, it is because somebody is sneaking them in".

Everyone had been too shocked to speak for a long time until Rarity said " But WHY in equestria would someone do that?"

'I don't know" said Twilight .'' But we're gonna find out". At this point, everyone of them had no doubt that the legend of the Mesorba was true. "You know what this means everyone" spoke Twilight again. "We have to go to the borders."


	4. The Journey Begins

Ch-4 - The Journey Begins

The seven of them went to their homes to pack a backpack of supplies, all of them shivering in fear but trying to be strong for eachother. Twilight had found a map to the borders and was leading the way. Nobody talked much for a long time. They had reached a train station to Los Pegasus- one of the civilized places closest to the borders. They traveled in silence until they reached. Then they started to walk to the borders, as no transport would go there. The borders were marked by a short fence. It was easy for anyone to enter, but they would be some of the only ponies who a deep breath, Twilight asked"Is everyone ready? For anything?" No answer, till Fluttershy, trying to lighten the mood said

"We have eachother. Nothing's a match for our friendship!"

"YEAH!" said everyone else, feeling more confident.

"Ok, let's do this." said Twilight. And they went in. Staying close to eachother, they cautiously walked, with Twilight leading the way again. Rainbow was flying over them, scanning the sky and ground for dangers. After a few minutes of walking with bated breath, they finally relaxed just a bit and began to realize the beauty of the place. It was rather like the Everfree forest, but not as dark. Apart from insects and an occasional bird, there were no other life forms to be seen. The whole place had a mystic and intriguing feel to it. They soon began to appreciate it's beauty.

"Perhaps this is just another ordinary place" said Rarity. '' It doesn't look very terrifying to me. I don't understand why everypony is so scared by it". Twilight had read that the dangers of the borders lay much further in and according to the map they would reach those "danger zones" quite soon, but didn't want to scare everyone again,so she said nothing about it. Still, they should all be ready for whatever would happen, so she said, trying to sound calm

"I agree. but we probably shouldn't let our guards down, right?"

"Of course Twi" said Rainbow Dash, still on the lookout. "I'll guard all of - PINKIE LOOK OUT" A huge snake, about 20 feet long had emerged from the ground and was towering over Pinkie, who was far behind the others, admiring a colorful little bug. Not looking phased at all, she took out her party canon and blasted the beasts' face with confetti. Startled, it went back in the ground.

"I'm okie dokie lokie" said Pinkie happily.

"I'm glad' said Fluttershy "but you really didn't need to scare the poor thing. I'm sure I could have reasoned with it"

"That's awful sweet of ya Fluttershy " started Apple-Jack. "But I don't think even you could tame the creatures here."

"Why not?" argued Fluttershy " We agreed they're not so different, right''

"We just don't want you to get hurt Flutters" said Pinkie.

" I know" replied Fluttershy, smiling" and I appreciate that. But I can't bear for any creature, big or small, to be hurt."

"Of course we won't hurt them Fluttershy" said Twilight reassuringly . "But we might need to drive them away if they're a threat. And before you manage to calm them down, we might be long gone. We just can't risk that"

"Ok" said Fluttershy and there was silence again. Until-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH" shrieked Rarity.

"What's wrong?" Everyone turned quickly, Rainbow posed for a fight. "I stepped in a disgusting mud puddle! was Rarity's tearful reply. "Just look at my hooves!" Holding back AJ, who looked like she was gonna burst, Twilight stepped forward calmly and said " Rarity, we're sure to get a bit dirty on a mission like this. Please don't make a fuss like that for it, we were all terrified! If you can't handle dirty hooves, you can go back if you like." Looking mortified Rarity stammered

" Oh of course not dear! I was just...surprised. I'm dreadfully sorry I scared you."

"It's ok" replied Twilight, feeling a little bad for what she said. They kept on walking, with Rainbow and AJ teasing Rarity several times. For once, she took it, still feeling embarassed. The next happening was something nobody was prepared for. A huge, swirling tornado- headed right for them! "Where in Equestria did THAT come from?"

All of them scattered for cover- Pinkie hopped onto trees, Fluttershy flew with spike, Rainbow grabbed Rarity and dashed of, and Twilight, after remembering that she had wings too, grabbed AJ and flew to a tall tree. They kept hopping and flying, dodging the tornado, until they were far away from it. "It's in the opposite direction" confirmed , they rested on the ground for a bit. "I think we deserve a break" said Twilight. They ate some snacks that they had packed, stretched, and then kept going. " We'll reach the mountains soon!" said Twilight excitedly. Nobody knew whether to be relieved or more nervous, but they were glad they were closer. They had no idea that what they had faced so far was NOTHING compared to what was waiting for them.


	5. The Discovery

Ch-5 - The Discovery

"There are the WildPine mountains" said Twilight pointing to a group of tall mountains. Fluttershy gulped.

"Um..do the Moserbas grow at the bottom?" she asked without much hope.

"Sorry, Fluttershy" replied Twilight. "They're only at the very top"

"Just our luck" moaned Rainbow Dash.

"What are you complainin' for Dash? Atleast you can fly." pointed out Apple Jack.

"My wings get tired too ya know" she replied.

"Then walk" said Aj simply. Rainbow did, though she wasn't happy about it. Fluttershy and Twilight's wings hadn't done much so far though, so they flew up the mountain. They had already reached a good way up by now and started talking about the plan.

"When we find the plants, what are we gonna do with them? " asked Rainbow.

"Well.." said Twilight " I got some matches, so my plan was to burn them" Everyone stared at her. "What?" she said indignantly. "I couldn't think of anything else, and fire will turn them to ashes.''

"It's a good plan, I guess" said Aj. "By the way, how are we gonna find the plants anyway?"

"Zecora told me the plants were dark green with small white flowers. These flowers have black seeds in them which give out that fume. Also, don't forget we also have smugglers to catch. I have a feeling they'll be here, to get those flowers."

"It sounds pretty easy" said Rainbow "We catch the smugglers, burn the plants, and everything will be great again!"

"Easier said than done Rainbow Dash" said Rarity. "Oh girls, I thought of something else!'' wailed Fluttershy." What about all the ponies who are already infected! Zecora said there's no cure! We can't just let them suffer forever!" Everyone was in shock.

"I never thought about that" said Twilight. "I'm sure there must be some cure. " then she gulped. "We'll have to think about that later. We've reached the top!" Everyone looked around. There was nothing but hard dirt and a few patches of ice and snow, though it was quite warm. "I don't see any flowers. Do you?'' asked Pinkie, sliding in the ice.

"Nope" they answered. Suddenly Twilight had a panic attack. "Oh my gosh you guys!What if it really was just a silly legend? What if we came all this way for nothing! I knew it was a bad idea! I-"

"Woah woah woah Twi" said Rainbow, putting a hoof around her. "I'm sure the plants are somewhere here. And if they aren't, we just go back. The path wasn't so bad.'' Twilight calmed down and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry everyone, i'm just so nervous. I just want this mess to be over."

" We all feel like that" said Spike kindly. "But we've got to do it. FOR EQUESTRIA!'

"For Equestria!'' repeated the others.

"I think the smugglers already took all the plants. There probably weren't too many." said AJ. This wasn't a very happy thought, but it made sense.

"Do you hear that" said Fluttershy suddenly. They all stopped and listened.

"Other ponies" said Twilight quietly. "This way!" They followed her and hid behind a large dirt mound. They saw three unicorns, fighting. They were too far away to hear what they were saying.

"Look." whispered Aj. One of them was holding a wheel barrow full of white flowers!

"The smugglers" said Twilight. They looked at the three strangers- all of them were a goldenish brown with bright hair. Twilight guessed they were siblings. There was a mare and two stallions.

"What are we waiting for" said Rainbow impatiently. "Let's go knock them out!"

"Rainbow wait" started Twilight, but she had already flew to them. Quick as a flash, the biggest stallion tackled her while the mare tied her up. The other stallion, who seemed to be the youngest, stood akwardly in the background. Twilight and the others raced to rescue Rainbow, but they all suffered the same fate.

"What are you doing here in the borders" asked the large stallion angrily. Rarity gasped.

"I know you three!'' her friends looked at her in shock. "Girls, these siblings ran a diner in Canterlot. He's Lime Jelly" pointing to the oldest stallion with dark blue hair. "She's Honey Pancake" pointing to the surly looking mare with brown curls "and he's Butter Sauce" pointing to the young, shy looking unicorn with bubblegum pink hair.

"Nice to meet you' said Pinkie happily. "I'm Pinkie Pie, this is Rain-"

"That's enough!" snapped Lime Jelly. He smiled evilly. "Ah yes, that little diner... I hated that place. But now I won't have to work anymore!" Looking angry again he asked" And I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that!" said AJ angrily. "We know why you're here. And we're not letting you infect the ponies!"

Looking a bit surprised, Lime smirked and said "And what are you gonna do tied up?"

Twilight replied smugly "forgot we have magic?" she was about to do a spell to untie the ropes, but Honey Pancake tackled her.

"You think you're so smart,huh?" she said in a cruel voice.

"Get them in the dungeons!" ordered Lime Jelly. They dragged the ponies to a concealed trap door in the ground and took them in.

"Why don't we just infect them with the flowers?" asked Honey Pancake.

"We need to save it as much as we can" he replied. "These brats can't do anything now anyway." With that they left and locked the door. They were hopelessly trapped.


	6. In The Dungeons

Ch-6 - In The Dungeons

The seven of them tried everything they could think of, but there was no escape. Even Twilight's alicorn magic couldn't help them. She felt horrible as she looked at her friends- Fluttershy was crying softly, and the others were staring at the blank walls. Even Pinkie had lost her sparkle, which automatically meant that the situation was bad. REALLY BAD.

After a while, the trap door opened a bit. Butter sauce, holding a tray of food, climbed down the stairs. His sister, who was behind him, quickly slammed the door shut again so there was no chance to escape. Not that they would try; they knew it wouldn't work. They were glad at the sight of food. Their backpacks had been taken away, and they were afraid they would be left to starve. Butter Sauce gave everyone a plate of roasted grass and daisies and watched for a while as they ate. Twilight had noticed that he didn't seem like a bad guy. He showed no interest in his siblings schemes, he merely followed what they said. She felt a little sorry for him. She finally worked up the courage to ask

"why are you guys doing this?" Butter looked taken aback. Speaking for the first time since they met, he replied

"Well, Lime wants everypony to be in his power. He's not very strong, so he decided to make everyone weak instead. He told me and Honey that we could share his power if we helped him. Honey always had a bleak, sad life. She didn't really care about anything. She just said 'Whatever' and followed Lime. I thought the whole idea was horrible and pointless" he finished his rant , looking mad and miserable. Everyone was staring at him.

"Then why did you follow them?" asked Twilight, confused. He looked embarrassed and replied sadly "My life was as dull as honey's. I never had anything to be happy or grateful for. We were all dumped in an orphanage, and then had to work many jobs to make a living. I stayed with my siblings even though we never got along, because I was afraid to leave and make my own decisions. I didn't have anyone else" His eyes had started to water. "I never knew how to make a friend..." he finished quietly. Everyone was in total silence. Fluttershy slowly walked over to Butter Sauce, who was now full-out crying, and put a hoof around him. She looked into his eyes, smiling and said softly "We can teach you". Right then, Honey Pancake opened the door and demanded "What's taking you so long?" Quickly, Butter collected the now empty plates and went up the stairs without a word. But before the door closed again, he looked at them and smiled. And when they smiled back warmly, he felt true happiness for the first time in his life.


	7. New Friends

Ch-7 - New Friends

Everyone was feeling a lot better after the sweet litte moment with Butter Sauce. "It's no wonder you're the element o' kindness'' said Aj to Fluttershy, who blushed. Twilight, now feeling more confident than she had in days, said happily

"I think we've got Butter on our side now. He could help us escape!''

"Yup'' said Rainbow. "But we've still got a lot to do. We need a plan to stop Lime and Honey Pancake."

''From what Butter said'' Fluttershy responded "We might be able to convince Honey to help us too. I'm sure she would love to have friends."

Everyone just nodded. It was nighttime now, and after the days events, they all wanted to sleep. Spike had already started to doze off, cuddled into Twilights' wing. Soon, they were all fast asleep, their hearts full of hope for the next day.

They woke up to the sound of Butter coming down with their breakfast- fresh oats and berries. To their surprise, Honey Pancake was behind him, looking a bit nervous. She said in a much different tone than they had heard before "Lime already left to Manehattan. We can talk freely for a long time." The others, still a little sleepy looked at eachother. "What's going on?" asked Twilight, getting up.

Butter answered shyly "I told her that you could help us. You know, from our brother."

Rainbow replied jokingly "Yeah, we were gonna ask the same thing." Honey smiled ,her whole face looking much sweeter and kinder.

"Come on, let's get out of here! We're ALL free!" Hardly believing their luck, the mane 7 got their backpacks returned to them and went out. "What are we gonna do now?'' asked Pinkie, back to her old self again.

''Let's get rid of those flowers'' said Twilight, holding the matches. Honeys' face fell.

"They're with 's why he left- to spread the fumes." she replied glumly.

"Then let's go find him!" said Rainbow, glad to fly freely again.

Twilight, suddenly remembering, asked their two new friends "Would you happen to know of a cure from these flowers?"

Thinking for a while,Honey answered "Lime said there was a cure he knew, but he never told us what."

Everyone was excited now. Rainbow said

"When we find him, we'll force him to tell us." Butter shook his head.

'You don't know our brother. Even if he's imprisoned, he'll never tell anyone. He's too stubborn."

Twilight, refusing to give up hope now, asked "Do you now how he found the cure?"

Butter replied "He found out about the flowers from an ancient book from a library. Maybe the cure is in that!"

"Where's the book?" asked Twilight. Butter answered again "It's in our old house at Canterlot. We can go there and search for it." The 9 friends took a train to Canterlot. Pinkie used the time teach their newest friends their names. They left the train laughing and chattering, but as soon as they took a look around, their not-so-pleasant mission snapped them back to the bad situation. A few guards and doctors were helping dozens of weak ponies to the hospital. Seeing Fluttershy about to cry again, Butter quickly said "This way." and led them to a deserted part of the saw a small house and went in. It was poorly furnished and looked rather sad. Honey led the way to a crammed bedroom and pointed to a large book on a messy desk.

"This is the one." she said.

Twilight smiled, saying

"Well Pinkie, do your thing." Pinkie immediately opened a random page from the book.

"Found it!'' Twilight began to read. "The cure is a spell!" she exclaimed "Only an alicorn can perform it. Guess it's up to me.'' She copied the complicated looking spell in her notebook.

''And NOW we can beat up Lime?" asked Rainbow hopefully. Twilight smiled.

"As soon as we find him"

They all went out confidently. Once again, they were oblivious of what they would really be facing.


	8. What Just Happened?

The situation in Equestria had gotten much worse. The streets were empty. Houses were padlocked in a desperate attempt to stay safe. As most ponies had no idea what was causing the terrible illness, they felt even more terrified and vulnerable than the nine friends who were cautiously walking down the deserted roads. Fluttershy shivered. "This is awful. I sure hope we find Lime soon," she said.

"Looking for me?" asked a chilling voice behind them. As they turned sharply, they saw Lime Jelly, carrying an innocent looking bag, which they assumed were the Moserbas, and an evil smile. He glanced at his siblings, not looking angry but rather amused. "You decided to leave me?" he chuckled darkly. "Well let me tell you, that is entirely your loss. I never needed you useless lot. I can take over Equestria without you, and you shall all bow down to me, family or not. Perhaps if you helped me I would go easy on you. And so again, it is your loss, not mine." He took out a jar of black powder, which was already giving off a mild smell.

"RUN!" screamed Rainbow-Dash, all thoughts of fighting gone. They did just that, with the surprisingly fast evil unicorn following them. "Hold on guys!" said Twilight. There was a flash of purple light and with a loud bang , they had all been teleported to Ponyville. "I couldn't think of another place" she explained, panting.

It seemed that Lime had not come to Ponyville before, as none of the ponies on the street seemed ill, but instead looked very worried. All of a sudden, Mayor Mare arrived, shrieking "The princesses have been infected! It's all over now!' With a dramatic cry, she dropped to the floor. All the other ponies on the street started running around screaming. That's when it happened. A furious Lime Jelly entered the scene, holding the jar of ominous black powder. Ignoring the pandemonium in the background, he focused only on Twilight. "You meddling little alicorn!" he seethed angrily. "I should have done this ages ago'' With that he opened the jar, carefully avoiding the fumes. Honey and Butter Sauce immediately stood in front of Twilight, the rest of her friends quickly following. Together they made a circle of protection around her, blocking her with their hooves and wings so that she was barely visible. Not caring who he hit, Lime threw the powder at the friends. Everyone but Twilight crumpled to the floor. "NO!" she cried, trying to help them up. She knew there wouldn't be enough time to perform the spell. If Lime found out that they knew the cure, who knew what he would do to them. So lost in her emotions, she had forgotten to be on her guard. The powder was inches from her face. Without thinking, she teleported looked around. She had never been in this place before. She realized that this was no ordinary teleportation. For one thing, the light wasn't the usual purple, instead it was a strange, silvery mist. She had never heard of anything like this happening before. She hadn't teleported herself at all. Someone or something else had brought her here. And there had to be a good reason.


	9. A new friend or enemy?

Twilight walked around the strange place. The ground seemed like clouds clustered together, but more air-like. She was surrounded by the same silvery mist that she saw when she was brought here. She wondered if she was dreaming. She slapped herself sharply. "OW!"

Definitely not a dream. She was getting frustrated now. Why would she be called here? And it had to be at a time like this? She needed to help her friends! Then, she noticed some colorful lights through the mist. She walked towards it carefully and gasped. The elements of harmony were in a small box, blinking lights, almost like they were in distress. Twilight was even more confused now. "How could the elements get here?" she asked herself. "Did the princesses keep them here for safekeeping?"

"No." answered a gentle voice. From the midst, a green unicorn had glided over to her. "Twilight Sparkle, is it not? I am Cordellia Blossom, a past student of the princess, and one of her most trusted friends."

Twilight wasn't about to believe that. This nice looking mare could easily be a spy, perhaps even a changeling. And Celestia would have told her about a 'most trusted friend' wouldn't she? Of course, Twilight often didn't pay attention to Celestia's long talks if they didn't concern her studies... When the purple unicorn gave no response, Cordellia continued "If you don't believe me, just look at this." She took out a card. Twilight went a bit closer to her to see it. It was the same card that she herself had gotten many years ago when she joined Celestia's school. It had Cordellia's details on it, along with the assurance that she was a student of the prestigious school. But what made Twilight's eyes go wide was the new looking golden stamp on a corner, contrasting with the dull, old paper of the card. This stamp was something everypony strived to earn- a mark that was given by the great sun princess to her most faithful, loyal subjects. Twilight and her friends were some of the only few ponies to get it, and they were extremely proud of it. Twilight smiled at Cordellia. "wow" she stated simply. "uh, do you know why we're here?" she asked awkwardly. Cordellia replied in her pleasant voice "As you may know, the princesses are ill. I was about to visit them, when a pony rushed out, carrying the elements of harmony. I guessed what had happened, and was wondering what to do, when I saw him do a powerful spell, one of the most risky spells you could try- he made a portal."

"He WHAT?" interrupted Twilight shrilly.

Cordellia continued patiently "I knew I had to get the elements back. When the pony came out again and closed the portal, I decided to make my own. I knew the spell to make a portal to this place, but I never dreamed I would ever use it. Thankfully though, this is one of the safest dimensions you can go to. However, I couldn't do anything with the elements after I found them. So I summoned you.'' She finished at last, her calm tone not changed at all after speaking about these baffling incidents. Twilight, after regaining her voice, said in awe "But how did you summon me? I didn't know that was possible. How is that possible?"

Cordellia answered, "I invented that spell" without even the slightest hint of pride in her voice. "Now Princess-" started Cordellia

"Please, Twilight is fine" corrected Twilight.

Cordellia nodded and smiled, continuing "Now Twilight, we must find your friends and use the elements."

Twilight, with an aching sadness replied "They're infected too. And I don't know where they'll be now- Equestria is in total chaos. I...I'm scared to go back" she admitted.

Cordellia gave her a friendly hug and said kindly "I understand. And no one can blame you. But I know you're a brave young pony. And I know you can do this! They don't just make anyone a princess after all."

Twilight smiled. Cordellia reminded her so much of sweet Cadence. "Thank you" she said quietly. Cordellia then made a portal. "We'll start at Ponyville,ok?"

Twilight nodded, feeling a bit sick from the pressure. Together, the two went through the portal, not knowing what to expect, other than that it wouldn't be pretty. And boy were they right.


	10. Elements Reunite! (part 1)

Twilight gasped. This was much, much worse than she thought. Much worse than anything Discord had done. All the ponies were forced to work. Already so weak, the long hours of labor were making them so exhausted they could barely lift their hooves. Even young fillies were working, most of them quietly sobbing in pain and helplessness. Twilight wasn't just upset, she was disgusted. How could it be possible for anyone to be so evil? Lime was even more heartless then she had imagined. She looked at what the ponies were doing. "They're making weapons" said Cordellia quietly. Twilight felt like she was going to break. Was this what her friends were going through? "I know how to heal these ponies" she said quickly. "We have to help them!"

Cordellia shook her head. "We must find your friends first" she said firmly. "Lime can't know yet that someone knows the cure. It will be bad for everyone. Once we defeat him, we can cure every pony."

Twilight sighed. She looked at the poor ponies around her. "Don't worry" she told them comfortingly. "We'll save you soon"

'Hopefully' she added in her head.

"Where do you think you friends are?" asked Cordellia

Like it was answering, one of the elements floated out of the box and started glowing. It was Fluttershy's. "I think it's leading the way" said Twilight. Sure enough, it floated in front of them, beckoning them with its blinking lights. They followed it, running to keep up with its urgent pace. They had reached the Everfree forest when it went back in the box. "What?" said Twilight .They couldn't see anyone. "Girls?" she asked cautiously. Suddenly Fluttershy popped out of the thick bushes, carrying a large heap of wood on her back. "Twilight?" she said in a weak voice, trying to crawl over to them. "Fluttershy!" Twilight used her magic to remove her heavy load. "I'm so glad to see you! Where are the others? What are you doing here?"

In the same hoarse voice, she said "I don't know where they are. I'm here along with some other ponies to fetch wood for Lime. I don't know what he wants with it though" Twilight knew what the wood was for, but there was no point in upsetting Fluttershy by telling her.

"We need to find the others and use the elements of harmony. But first, let's get you fixed up." She checked her notes for the spell. Taking a deep breath, she chanted "Hibiscus alzoroy, balikus snare, addrenodenine elaikasiris!" A thin ribbon-like purple stream came from the tip of her horn. It wrapped itself around Fluttershy, and then seeped into her skin. She already looked much stronger. "Twilight, you did it!" she said in her normal voice.

Twilight was thrilled. "Now let's find the others!" she replied. "Oh, and this is Cordellia Blossom. She's been helping me."

"Um...nice to meet you" whispered Fluttershy. Suddenly, three other elements started glowing and floating away. "Rarity's ,Rainbow's and Pinkie's. Maybe they're together" They followed the shining elements for a long time, till they reached a small little town. The elements went back in the box again. There was a big group of ponies, building a large structure. Twilight didn't know what it was, but it looked scary. They tried to find their two friends in the crowd to no avail, till they spotted a distinctive rainbow-colored tail. They ran over to it. Sure enough, it was Rainbow-Dash, looking very sleepy. "Rainbow!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily.

"Fluttershy?" said Rainbow, sounding confused. "What are you doing here? Wait...you're cured?"

Twilight quickly inquired "Do you know where the others are?"

Rainbow answered "Well, Pinkie and Rarity are over there" pointing at them.

Twilight quickly grabbed the three of them and went behind a group of trees to do the spell without attracting attention. By simply adding "Trioscus" at the end of the spell, she cured all three at once. Fluttershy quickly explained "We need to find the others to use the elements of harmony, and this is Cordellia Blossom, a new friend."

"Now just Apple-Jack!" said Pinkie.

"What about Spike?" asked Twilight worriedly.

Rainbow answered "I saw him go with Apple-Jack. They're probably still together."

Cordellia, frowning a bit said "Why isn't her element glowing? We need to find her fast."

They waited for a bit, till Twilight suggested "Maybe she's here too?" They started searching around, but couldn't find her.

"Let's check sweet apple acres" said Rarity. "She might be there"

Twilight doubted this, but went along. "I wonder what Lime is doing now" she wondered aloud.

Fluttershy answered "Just enjoying himself. He doesn't need to do anything else. He was breaking into restaurants and eating their food, going to luxury hotels for free...he can do anything he wants."

"Not for long" said Twilight. They soon reached the apple farm. Surprisingly, Apple-Jack was there, along with her family and a few other ponies. She was bucking apples, like she did every day, but she looked tired and miserable. Twilight saw with relief that Spike was also there, packing apples into crates. He was the first to notice them. "Twilight!" he said in a tired but happy voice. He ran over to her.

"Spike!" said Twilight " I'm so glad you're here! You don't look too ill. What happened?"

Spike answered proudly "I'm a dragon. It doesn't affect me as much as it does to ponies. I'd still like to be cured though"

Twilight healed him, and then Apple-Jack, who was really excited to see them again. "Are you sure you can't help my family yet?" she asked sadly. "At least little Bloom or Granny, please Twilight?"

Twilight replied "I will soon AJ. Now, we can use the elements and defeat Lime! And this mess will all be over."

Cordellia handed them the elements. "I've always wanted to see this for real!" she said excitedly.

They put on their necklaces, and Twilight wore her crown. The elements started glowing again, and began pulling them in another direction. "I think they're leading us to Lime!" said Rainbow. Spike and Cordellia followed them. They traveled for a long time, till they reached another town. There was another crowd of ponies building more strange stuff. The elements forced them to push their way to the crowd, and then stopped in the middle of the ponies. They couldn't see Lime anywhere. Then Pinkie said "Hey, there's Honey and Butter! HONEY! BUTTER!"

Honey, who looked like she was had been crying, turned to them. "Butter, it's them!" she said to her brother. They both walked over to them. Twilight explained everything that had happened.

Butter said "Lime's not here. What were the elements leading you to then?"

"To you two of course!" said Rainbow.

"But why?" asked Rarity.

Twilight answered "Maybe we need you two to help us defeat Lime. It would make sense; you helped us for a long time in this mission."

"You better heal them then" said Cordellia. Twilight did so, and then the elements started to lead them away again.

"It must be Lime next" said Rainbow happily. "You better get ready, Lime! We're coming for you!"


	11. Elements Reunite! (part 2)

The elements dragged them for what seemed like hours. Butter, Honey, Cordellia and Spike were exhausted from trying to keep up, without getting any chance to rest. Twilight finally used her magic to float them so they didn't have to run. They seemed to be in Fillydelphia when they finally jerked into a halt. It was usually a cheerful, welcoming place, but today it was full of horrifying weapons and. And right in the middle was the cause of all this terror – Lime Jelly, polishing a long, curved, lethal looking sword.

Fluttershy squealed in fright.

"Let's get this over with." said Twilight. The bearers of the elements charged forward, while the other four stood back, unsure of what to do. Lime watched them, and yawned dramatically.

"What brave little girls, always rushing off to save the day with your precious little necklaces." He said sneeringly. "Oh please, at least make this fight a bit exciting for me. I'm against a wimpy pegasus, the rainbow girl who's all talk, an immature pink earth pony, a diva, a country-bumpkin and YOU!" he spat at Twilight, the others looking furious. "Why someone would make you a princess, I can't imagine!"

"YOU BE QUITE LIME!" shouted Cordellia from the back, looking angry for the first time they had seen. She looked at the mane six saying "Go show him girls! Use the elements, quick!"

The girls took formation. Lime charged at them, gripping the sword with his green magic. Twilight started to panic. The elements were glowing, but nothing was happening. "Concentrate girls!" she said urgently. They all tried with all their might, but still nothing happened. It usually didn't take any effort. Suddenly Twilight remembered. She looked back and called "Butter, Honey, you have to help us!"

"But what do we do?" asked Honey anxiously. Twilight didn't have an answer.

"Let me handle this!" said Rainbow. She flew to a cloud and within seconds made it emit lightning. She moved the cloud over Lime, chasing him around. He yelled out as they struck him repeatedly, but it didn't do much damage except to shrivel his mane and tail. Then he managed to shoot spells at her with his horn, and send her crashing to the ground while the cloud floated away.

"Dash!" exclaimed Apple-Jack. She took out her lasso and threw it at Lime, tying him up. He immediately started doing an unbinding spell. In that time, Rainbow got back on her feet, and they took formation again. Still nothing happened.

"Now me!" said Pinkie, taking out her party cannon. The colorful balloons and confetti were showered all over him, looking very out of place with the situation. Lime's hooves had gotten tangled in streamers, and he kept tripping as he tried to step out of them. The others couldn't help laughing at the ridiculous sight. Fluttershy had seen some birds flying past her. She whispered to them softly. The birds nodded their tiny heads, flew over to Lime and started pecking him. He growled in frustration but the birds showed no signs of stopping until he used his magic to force them away. "What do we do?" asked Apple-Jack. "We can't just distract him forever"

Rarity had the next plan. She took out a sparkly red sash from her backpack and used her magic to tie it around Lime's face. His shouts were muffled by the thick fabric. His horn however was still uncovered, and once again he got himself free. He looked livid. He charged at the girls, who were still trying to use the elements. They soon gave up and started running, but Lime was extremely fast. He chased them into an alley- a dead end. He raised the sword as they cried out in fear.

"NOO" shouted Spike. The other three unicorns were close behind. Honey tackled Lime while Cordellia and Butter forced the sword from him. Taken off guard, Lime was too surprised to react at first, and then started fighting them again.

"I'm ashamed that I'm related to you!" screamed Honey, letting out all the feelings she had kept hidden her whole life. "Did you ever think what you were doing to everypony?"

Lime rolled his eyes replying "It's not like I'm proud of being your brother either you traitor! And I'm not going to listen to your pathetic 'be a nice pony' speech. Being nice never got anyone anywhere!"

"Well it got us friends!" said Butter suddenly.

"Equestria has prospered because of friendship-because of being nice." added Cordellia. "These mares have proven that to us. They have saved Equestria so many times with harmony. And that doesn't mean the elements. It means the harmony that's always inside them."

"I've done wrong too" admitted Honey humbly. "Because I as well thought that being good didn't matter. But when I met you guys, I realized... I realized why you always save the day. I realized _how_ you save the day. And I realized why I was never happy. It wasn't because we were poor. You can have all the money and power in Equestria" she looked at Lime pointedly "but if you don't have harmony, you're nothing."

"I wouldn't trade my friends for all the gems in the world." continued Spike, hugging Twilight.

As soon as he said those words, the elements glowed again, and raised the bearers of them to the air. But along with them, their other friends rose up too. From each of them, a colorful light came, not from the elements, but from inside their own bodies. The lights all came together, twisting themselves tightly to each other, and formed one large stream of white light. It wrapped itself around Lime. When it faded away, Lime was trapped in a clear cube. It looked like a block of ice with him frozen in the middle, along with his sword. The others had floated down safely. They caught their breath and looked at eachother, and at the cube. Finally, Twilight said "It's over now."


	12. Epilogue

"I still can't believe the legend of Moserbas were true!" said Luna. The girls had brought the imprisoned Lime to the castle and healed the princesses. From all the extraordinary tales they had narrated, the sisters were most surprised of this little detail.

Twilight started healing the castle guards when Celestia said "I can't tell you how proud I am. You have all done very well."

"Please write down the spell for us Twilight" said Luna. "We shall heal the rest of the ponies. You've done more than enough already."

Twilight did so, and the now healed guards began to take away Lime.

"Once Equestria is back to normal, I think a big party is in order to celebrate-"

"YAY! A PARTY!" interrupted Pinkie Pie.

"..In order to celebrate Ponyville's heroes, as well as our new ones" continued Celestia, looking at Honey, Butter and Cordellia.

"Speaking of which, it's lovely to see you again Cordellia. And I think you two might need this" with that she gave a bag of bits to Honey and Butter.

"Oh princess, thank you so much" said Honey, tearing up.

"Where are you going to stay now?" asked Rarity.

Butter answered "We'd love to keep working at our diner. But we can afford a nicer house now."

"We promise we'll keep in touch!" said Pinkie, who had already memorized all of their phone numbers.

"You can all go relax now" said Celestia. "We've got a party to plan!"

They walked out of the castle again. Cordellia said "It was great meeting you all! But I should get going. I've got a lot of studying to catch up on."

"I totally understand" said Twilight laughing.

Then Butter said "We should get going too. Thank you so much, for everything"

"We've got a much brighter life to look forward to now, thanks to you" continued Honey.

"It was amazing to meet all of you" replied Twilight. "Bye!"

As their new friends walked away, the others walked back to Ponyville, thrilled that this awful ride was over and eager to go back to their normal lives.

"So what do you all wanna do?" asked Rainbow-Dash.

Twilight answered "Well, we never did finish dusting those books..."


End file.
